KINABATANGAN: Former Sukau assemblyman Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman has been named Warisan’s candidate for the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election, while party supreme council member Mazliwati Abdul Malek Chua will contest the Lamag state seat.
The announcement was made by Warisan deputy president Datuk Darell Leiking at Dewan Sri Lamag here on Monday (Jan 5).
Leiking said that while the party respected the late Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, Warisan was exercising the democratic process by fielding candidates to give voters a choice, adding that the party saw itself as a truly local political movement representing the voices of the people.
“We believe this contest is part of the democratic process in Sabah, and voters in Kinabatangan and Lamag must be given a choice. This is not an obstacle, but a signal that Sabahans want to be represented by a local party. Warisan is not against the unity government, we are part of it, but we are here to represent Sabahans and bring Sabah’s voice into the Madani government,” Leiking said when met by reporters after the announcement.
Saddi said he was grateful for being selected as a candidate, and that his experience as an assemblyman would give him an advantage in leading the constituency if given the mandate.
He said he had contributed to the development of Sukau when he was an assemblyman, and could do the same for Lamag and Kuamut in the Kinabatangan constituency.
"(Back then) we presented the blueprint, and we developed Sukau. I will once again present a development blueprint for Kinabatangan, and I am sure that if I could do it in Sukau, I could do it for Lamag and Kuamut too," he said.
Saddi served three terms as Sukau assemblyman from 2008 to 2020 under Umno. He later contested the seat as an independent in the 2020 Sabah state election but lost to Datuk Jafry Ariffin by a majority of 2,129 votes. Saddi subsequently joined Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah before leaving the party in November last year to align himself with Warisan.
Earlier, Mohd Ismail Ayob, who contested as an independent for Lamag in the 17th Sabah state election on Nov 29, was named as Barisan Nasional’s candidate for the Lamag seat, while Naim Kurniawan Moktar was announced as the coalition’s pick for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat.
The by-elections for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and the Lamag state constituency are scheduled for Jan 24.
In the Nov 29 state election, Warisan lost all three state seats in the Kinabatangan area - Lamag, Sukau and Kuamut - with its candidate in Lamag failing to secure the minimum number of votes required, resulting in the loss of the election deposit.
Meanwhile, in the 2022 general election, Warisan was locked in a straight fight with Barisan Nasional for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat, with Mazliwati as the party’s candidate. The seat was won by Bung Moktar with a majority of 4,330 votes.
